Nodus Tollens
by classofthetitans711
Summary: What happens when you realize that the plot of your life doesn't make sense to you anymore? Several years after the Phantom Rising, in a dystopian world, our heroes must face a harsh truth and the realization that they were living a lie.
1. Chapter 1 Mine No 30

Chapter 1: Mine No. 30

…

It was a rainy day, not so different from the others. Everything was quiet, you could´ve even heard the water down the sewers. Living down here was awful, it was cold, wet and depressing, even for me. I never imagined my life in a bunker, but here we were.

"_2784 days we´ve been hiding…"_ from what you may ask, I don't even know anymore… _Cronus… the Government… CIA… Interpol…_ I already lost count, and seriously I could care less. There´s nothing out there left for us. We can only rely on the hope of new allies or one of our plans working out. And neither of those hasn't happened lately.

I was cut out of my thoughts when the door open, it was Jay, and by the look on his face that only meant bad news.

"So… are they going to help us?"

His hand reached his forehead, he then sighed "They want this to end, they can´t stand more wars Arch…" I move from the desk, to lean on the wall. I crossed my arms in a sign of protest of whatever the outcome could be. He was soaking wet. A bigger storm was coming. "…they say yes, but with their conditions" he muttered.

I was confused. "And the long face is because…?"

"Because, man, I´m tired of this…" he rushed his hand through his hair. "Tired of people conditioning my methods, tired of not knowing when this is going to end, tired of the world… tired of… life." He groaned. "This doesn't make sense anymore…"

I cut him straight away "And you think this does make sense to me…? To everyone in here, Jay?" I move to sit on the chair right in front of him. "You´re not the only one tired of this hellhole, believe me" I looked him straight in the eyes... well… his eye and that piece of fabric that he recalled a patch "We have lost a LOT, and we can lose way more if we don´t do something, even in their terms. They don´t care if we are tired or have loosened all hopes!"

His glance had toughened up with the years, we weren´t teenagers anymore. This just wasn´t about us fighting monsters and myths, this was way far worse than we could ever imagine. We both stay quiet for a few minutes.

"Go and tell Odie that I need him here"

"Fine."

I made my way out of his office, through the security gate. If Daedalus was still alive, he would be proud of this place. A complete maze, packed with all kinds of killer surprises in case someone breaks in, and sometimes with way too many security points.

After everything went down the sewer in our lives, _the accident_, the media and the whole world questioning their faith in religion, this was our place, the only one on earth that could keep us safe, but not so much sane.

A few years ago, we fought an army of G.I. Ants in here, now it was our bunker, well, we kind of shared it with two thousand more people, but we got used to it. Odie modified it so well that you couldn´t even perceive the crowd…

"Hand" I was suddenly burst out of my thoughts by one of the gorillas of Odie´s lab.

"Dude it´s like the sixth time I came here this day."

"HAND" he grunted.

"FINE!" I placed it in the palm detector full of green scanners. It was tedious, I mean it only took a few seconds but when you had to do it every hour or so.

"Odie, it's me… again" I crossed the doors, he was still in his lab coat, cover in Zeus knows what blue substance, a part of his bear also caught a little blue. Only two of his apprentices were left, and by the expressions of their faces, they were glad to see someone else taking Odie´s attention.

"Hey man, just… give me… one… second" I made a gesture to the two apprentices to get a break while Odie didn´t notice. I needed to talk to him in private after all. I cover my sight a little while I adjusted to the bright lights, it was a bit of a change to the rest of the bunker. At least in here, the walls weren´t just concrete ones.

"Done!" he started cleaning his hands like if that would make any difference, the whole lab was still a mess. "You´ve got good news?" he asked.

"I´m not sure if they are good, but we got news" I sighed. "They´re going to help us, but Jay says that only at their conditions, and anyways he wants to see you, that's why I came here."

"But that is great news! I mean… they say yes to our plan. That must mean something good" I rolled my eyes, he was still full of hope, _ironic_ I know.

"Well tell that to mister grumpy, lately he been in a mood that I can´t stand," I said sharply while I crossed my arms.

Odie took a deep breath "Well, you know it´s almost _August_, we all know how he handles this time of the year" He approached his desk to take some notes and books. "He is not the only one who's grieving Odie" I muttered.

"You might be right, but… just give him time, as ironic or poetic as it sounds" We got out of the lab and as he looked the doors, I saw a burst of red coming our way.

Atlanta, the only person I was glad to see this day, and the only one who could lift my humor. "Are you also heading to the HQ?" she asked while greeting Odie.

"For the **tenth** time in this day." I lean to kiss her and grab her hand. While for others displaying´s of affection in public weren´t allowed, being a General had its perks. "How´s been your day?" I asked.

"Same as always, some of the new are doing great, others, well, they seriously need to rethink if my division is the right place for them. I could see them more in the labs or even in the inventory department." She shrugged. "You know I´m always glad to receive more recruits," Odie said.

We began to walk together, Odie a little bit ahead of us, but always checking every single corner where we passed, lately he´s been a little paranoid of attacks. One of his bodyguards or gorillas, as I called them was walking behind us.

It took us a few minutes until we arrived, Odie passed his hand through the eye pad outside the HQ. _Again, with the stupid security in every single point_. The bodyguard waited for us outside. We entered the Hall, a place that Neil insisted on for visitors, or when high important people would come to seal deals, like if that ever happens. It only served as a final filter to the HQ. We made our way up the stairs, and through the metal door. Neil and Herry were already there. Jay was just passing through the room from one side to another.

"You´re going to leave a mark on the carpet at that pace," I said, as I closed the door, he just grunted. A lot more books were scattered on the table and the floor, than when I was there an hour ago. We took places in the table, moving aside papers and trinkets. This place was a real mess.

Herry cleared his throat "so…" but he was cut by Jay making a gesture with his hand, telling us that we needed to wait for someone else.

A few minutes past, and still we got not a single word from him, we were more than anxious to know, but he just kept looking to the clock. No one knew what to say, or if urging him was the right thing to do.

"Do we need to wait for her, can´t you just catch her later with the info Jay?" Neil asked, looking apart from a compass that he found beneath the pile of things in the table.

"No, I need the whole team to be here Neil," he said sharply and with a glared that could cut through ice. Atlanta was going to star protesting but, at that moment the door flew opened, a swirl of blonde hair entered the room and took place next to Jay. "Sorry I was a little bit busy with some documents, the HR Department can be a pain in the ass sometimes" she adjusted herself in the chair and gave Jay a little peak on the cheek.

"We´re aware of it Medelia, but the reunion started half an hour ago, and **WE ALL** have things to do," said Atlanta with a snarky tone. Medelia just rolled her eyes, and before things got more hostile, Jay began to talk.

"The Major General of Bourgna agreed to help us enter the laboratories in Biel, he said that some of his high forces are willing to help us, and to destroy some papers that were stolen for them." He made a paused. "He says that on Saturday they´re going to make a demonstration of the weapon they´ve been working on, a mass event were high politicians are invited, and they are expecting Cronus too." He scanned all our faces.

"But…" I dared to asked.

"Waiting to attack on Saturday, even on Friday will be too predictably" The silence and the tension in the room was rising. At this point, attacking by those days was almost a suicide mission.

"So…" Medelia said in an almost inaudible voice.

"We´re attacking tonight."

…


	2. Chapter 2 Everybody knows

Authors Note:

A big thank you to HoneyGoddess57 and a sincere apology to everyone for not uploading sooner. I hope it won´t happen again.

Chapter 2: Everybody knows

…

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!" a sudden outburst of complaints rush through the room. I knew why they were all mad, it was the same reaction I had, but ten times worse. I waited until everyone decided to calm down. I have stressed enough with the whole situation already, to even tried to yell.

"I know how_ this_ sounds… believe me, but it´s our only chance to end this…" I took a deep breath "… this is the last risk I´m willing to make" I looked at everyone's faces. I recognize those feelings. Distress. Discomfort. Frustration. Anger. I´ve been through all of them but being the leader of this massive disaster, demanded me to show them calmness.

"But Jay we don't know the layout of the laboratories in Biel, or how does the _weapon_ even look like," Medelia said, as she tried to reach my hand in a false attempt.

"For _once_ I agree with _her_," Atlanta said snarky, but before the tension between them arise

"Can we please focus on what´s important here, this mission was supposed to take place two months from now, no one is prepared for tonight" Herry started at me with a concerned look. "And what papers are they looking for? Weren´t we supposed to ONLY infiltrated in the labs?"

I stood up from the chair as I began to show them some blueprints "We do know the layout, it's the similar to the one in Sione, and because of that I´m only sending the two troops that participated in that mission, A7S3, and A7S5"

"Just two troops Jay, and our best ones, to a suicide mission! How I´m I going to tell that to Oyekan and Thurman?!" Atlanta said in a bitter tone and stood in front of me. She had turned overprotective of the people she commands; I could understand that perfectly.

"In the same way that I´m telling you." I looked her directly in her eyes. "Now we need to stop wasting time and start with this" I turned around and started giving directions. "Medelia and Neil you take care in handling the media and making distraction; Odie could you…"

"…are you seriously _doing_ this?" with his arms closed as always, Archie stood and walked towards me.

"If I don't recall wrongly, a few hours ago you were down with the plan, why the sudden change of mind?" silence invaded the room.

"Because I didn't know the exact terms, and they are SHIT!" He paused. "A lot of people are relying on you, on this opportunity to change things… and you´re opting for _this_"

"Well… then let me ask you, **_who_**** do I ****_rely_**_**on**_? The gods? They don´t care about us anymore. They went completely out of sight, leaving us alone on this shitty mess" I sighed "After all… the prophecy was completed, that's all they wanted" I slammed my fist on the table, I thought he knew better to not cross this point, but I couldn't bear Archie teasing me no more.

"You sound just like _her…_"

I felt a whole bucket of ice water pour down on me, what was his need of touching the subject at this exact moment. Anger then sadness to anger again. I was supposed to not be vulnerable at this topic, to not let it affect me… but I wasn´t strong enough.

_"__Out… of… here…" _

_"_Jay…" Medelia´s voice was faint to my ears, I didn't pay much attention to what she was saying, I just look at Archie until he left the room. Not the best way to start tonight´s plans. Maybe after all this was a sign of not doing it, but I couldn´t back it up, I already gave my word to General Murr.

After he slammed the door, everything went silent. You could cut the tension of the room with a paper. I looked at everyone, waiting for some other kind of protest, but there was none.

"I thought we all have agreed to leave the _past _where it** belongs**" Medelia was the first to break the ice, she stood behind me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Odie do you have any news from Dr. Reznikov?"

"No" he responded cutting his train of thoughts. "I haven´t had a word from Brielka in months."

"That's weird" Neil reply. _Indeed, it was weird_ I thought to myself.

"Now that you mention it, it is," Odie said. "But last time she said things were getting worse in there, and she wasn´t willingly going to put our communication at risk. So, I´m still waiting."

A few years ago, after all this started to get worse, Odie was contacted by Dr. Brielka, she was working with some allies from Europe where she was head of some research department and somehow manage to get involved and undercover in the laboratories in Biel. She was our eyes and ears, getting to contact her got worse with the time, but never like this.

I snapped from my thoughts. "If you got any news by tonight, please let me know" He just nods. After I informed them of the rest of the plan and all the little details, everyone started to make their ways out of the HQ and directly to the labs and the armory. I was going to catch with Atlanta to inform both troops myself, but first I needed to breathe for a moment.

My sight wandered around the room with the hope of finding a way out, maybe a door to scape that I never realize it was there, but it stops at my reflection on the glass of the ticking clock. A few years have passed, and I couldn't recognize myself anymore. The scar across my face, my missing eye covered by an old patch, some grey streaks of hair. I wasn´t the same naïve teenager from a few years ago; the one who thought could defeat a megalomaniac god and escape victorious… _no… that Jay was gone…_

I took a photo from the left pocket of my shirt, _if only you were here_, I thought to myself. Those green eyes, the warm of _her_ smile, _if only the gods had left a way to see you one last time, even in the Elysian Fields, _I sighed, _if only…_The scent of fresh lavender soak my memory, I returned to reality and placed the photo again in my pocket, right next to my heart, where it belongs.

…

Down at the armory, people were running around, placing weapons and all kind of supplies in the Humvees, the were armed to the tires. Everything was running in place, just as it should be.

"General Marrow, so good to see you" Onora reached her hand to me. Better referred to as Major Oyekan, Onora was one of Atlanta´s right hands in commanding and training recruits, but she had her team, division A7S3.

"Always glad to see you too Onora. Is everything ready?"

"Yes, everything's set" she always gave this tenacious vibe. Her eyes were focused on her team. Three boys and two girls. They remind me a lot of my past and the easy-going days.

"Were they ready?"

"We were trained to be ready, don´t fear Jason, I trust my team" I nodded. "Atlanta told me; they are no news from Dr. Reznikov?" the concern looks on her face was the same vibe you could feel all over the place.

"No, remember that she is one of our priorities" I sighed "She… and whatever weapon they are creating. We need to stop it before anyone else gets their hands on it". We all been hearing a lot of stories around this weapon, the so-called death bringer of the century. I didn´t dare to imagine what horrors that thing could do. At that moment I saw Atlanta approaching us with all the crew, it was time for me to give a few words.

You could hear the rain outside pouring. The rain was never my kind of weather, but since we been here, I had always hoped to hear thunder, a signed of Zeus of course, or maybe Polyphemus, whoever might have been listening, I have prayed for the worst rainstorms but never got a response, until tonight.

"Soldiers, tonight we may be dealing with one of the worst threats that history holds a record of. Whatever is held down on that place, we are taking it down. We can´t risk the lives of billions, just for the delight of a few, their safety is in our hands. I trust in you, as you have trust in me…" at that moment everything started to shake, we all looked at each other, fearing a possible attack, but then we hear it… a thunder.

_Was that what I think it was. _Atlanta looked at me while trying to hold the commotion in her face. I only masked the surprise in my face.

"Anyway" I cleared my throat "Let´s do this!"

"SIR, YES SIR!" And with that, both units were gone.


	3. Chapter 3 Deep in the Forest

Authors note:

A big apology to all of you who have been waiting for this story. Last year and this one has been a little difficult, and I wasn´t able to keep writing. But enough with excuses I hope there´s still someone interested in this story, I been working on upcoming chapters, so I won´t leave you like last year. Please be safe in these unsure times. All reviews and constructive criticism are welcome :).

Some chapters are going to be from different perspectives, and I´m adding some OC´s. Also, this will be the last names I´m using for the seven: Jayson Marrow, Odie Griffin, Herry Olson, Atlanta Black, Archie Vincent, Theresa Sinclair, and Neil Cole.

A big thank you to HoneyGoddess57 :)

Chapter 3: Deep in the forest

…

The road was quiet; not a single voice was heard since we left the bunker, just the jolting of the Humvee. The storm stopped about an hour ago. We were still half an hour away from the laboratories or at least that was what the GPS was marking. None of us knew what to expect, both General Marrow and General Black were heading to a safe position near the laboratories. Since Operation furies and the one in Sione, they weren´t allowed to interfere in battlefield ground, only if the situation worsened, or if a god showed up.

I looked through the window, today was a night of new moon, if it was not for the night vision in our gear, we wouldn´t be able to see a thing. For what we knew these laboratories were in the north woods, difficult terrain for a retreat.

At moments like this is when I start to question my choices in life, I enter the army right after I graduated from high school, it was the only way I could afford going to college; there I met my troop and the ones who would become like my family; Olivia Kauffman, Amelia Hayes, Felix Santos, and Roy McGee. I mean, I do not complain about them, but I do about our situations. We knew what we signed for in the army, but we did not about _this war_. One day everything was perfect, and the other there were a "terrorist" group of teens that were fighting against mythical creatures and gods in the news, the next thing I knew I was fighting alongside them. Weird, I know.

How I ended up here it´s still my question.

Somethings made sense, others not so much. I had never seen any of the creatures they swear to have fought; although you can see in their eyes, the eyes of the six, that they have seen shit that no one else has, or at least not all of us. Major Oyekan never questions them, but sometimes it is difficult to believe all. However far from being believable or not, every single nation went wild after some information infiltrated, and the rest is history. I still think that they hide more secrets…

"Milo"

"Milo"

"Milo"

"CARTER" I was snapped out of my thread of thoughts, Olivia was moving her hand vigorously in front of me. "What is it?!" I asked.

"Man, you´re supposed to stay focus during a mission, what is it with you?" she managed to mutter and still be almost imperceptible for everyone in the Humvee. Everyone but Major Oyekan, she gave me one of those looks, that no one wants to feel. I move my gaze from her and to Olivia again.

"What is it then?"

"I was just thinking" she sighed "Do you feel that the thunder was a good omen?... I mean… you know what they say about thunders, right?"

"Are you seriously asking me that, Kauffman?" I shake my head and sighed "aren't we supposed to stay focused?" I raised my eyebrow, she took a deep breath and just looked away. Since the last mission we had, she had suffered from anxiety, and her copping is trying to find omens in all things. Again, I severely question our decisions.

"I promised everything will be alright" I approached her and grabbed her hand; she gave me a half-smile. At that moment, the GPS started beeping telling us that we were on position. We got out of the Humvee, the only sound you could hear was our boots soaking in the mud. Major Thurman and his troop were somewhere near us, with some soldiers from Bourgna, I hardly believe in them working together with us, they were not known for their best reputation.

"_**Here Bald Eagle to Black Stag, DO YOU COPY?" **_Major Oyekan said, but we could only hear static. McGee was searching between stations in a complementary device in case we could interfere in some enemy signal. He had been an apprentice of Major Griffin, and the one behind all our cool gadgets. We waited a few minutes before we hear a response back.

"_**Black Stag, here, COPY LOUD AND CLEAR" **_there was a sign of relief after hearing Major Black voice, this was an important mission taking place out of time, we were in a way prepared for this, but not for tonight.

"_**The eagles are on the nest, OVER"**_ we had a few moments of interference until we had communication again, there was something odd with the systems. "_**Be prepared for the snakes, OVER" **_that was our sign to start moving.

"Okay people, we need to move quickly to get the hell out of here soon." Major Oyekan started pacing in front of us, I could sense she was also nervous but make an incredible work trying to mask it out. "Kauffman and Hayes are coming with me; we are taking the north entrance..." both of them nodded "Santos you and Carter are going west, you may meet in the way with Major Thurman, follow him if needed…" I moved near Felix, It gave me a relief being paired with him, he always made things seem to lighten "…that leaves only you McGee, you are going to be our eyes and ears from here, if anything weird or out of place starts to happen, you immediately report to Major Black and notify your teammates" Oyekan took a big breath to continue. "Remember that our priority tonight is getting our hands on _the weapon,_ also on Dr. Reznikov, don't forget that".

We starting making our way to the laboratories and before both brigades parted their ways, Major Oyekan turned to us "I need all of you to understand, that is something goes wrong, you must retreat to the bunker, no exception of waiting for anyone, not even me, understood?" there were some big implications behind her words, but everyone nodded. Olivia turn to look at me and gave me a little bump in the arm. I hoped those last words in the Humvee would not be our last ones.

…

The sky was clear and not a single cricket could be heard, the silence was creeping and unusual even for a forest. We approached one of the gates, trying to make ourselves blend with the darkness of the night. These laboratories could have the same floor plan as the ones in Sione, but something felt different, Unlike Olivia, that she assigns meanings to everything, I had never been a superstitious guy, but tonight even the air felt different. It was like the chills you feel running through your body when you realized that the shadow you thought you imagined… was moving. That was the whole vibe of this place.

"Don't you think it´s weird that we haven't seen any guards or even people?" I inquired while Felix finishes opening the gate. "Dunno man, it even smells wrong" he mumbled. We continue walking, maybe Thurman's troop have already taken care of the guards. He always gave the vibe of the bad guy, he had the 3T: tall, tough, and terrifying. So probably they confused him with one of them.

The lights of the building were out, we made our way inside, and to our surprise, it was empty- Not a single chair, desk, or even trash can, nothing. It was like an abandoned wear house, everything of concrete, and just dust as if no one has touched the place in a long time. _Wasn´t it supposed to be and all top laboratory with high tech and all? Man, something´s not right. _

"I think we should inf- "Felix cut me mid-sentence, he made awaiting gesture with his hand and got near a wall, by his movements I knew someone was coming. The footsteps were soon heard, and by deduction, it was more than one person. I held my breath ready to act.

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

We stood in silence until Felix give me a signal to turned ourselves from the corner, we soon realized we were pointing our guns to Thurman and his troop. Thankfully, it was them. I chuckled. Tension can raise easily in this type of situation.

"Glad it was you soldiers" he relaxed as he moves in the room. "We just finished with the east wing of this building and is as empty as this one" he sighed "I´m starting to think this mission was a hoax." We all exchanged glances. "Anyways, we need to keep moving" He readjusted his gear "I don't see a reason why there´s two of you down here, while we need to cover seven floors upstairs, so why don't one come with us?" He inquired. Felix and I turned to see each other. Thurman was kind of right at everything, there was no reason extending this mission, and the sooner we ended up with this the better.

"I´ll go" Felix responded. I need to learn from him, he never hesitated on making decisions, I just nodded.

…

A few minutes passed by before everything went silent again. I leaned against the wall and relax a little. Looking to the ceiling I notice there where not a single trace of air ducts. _Weird, is it supposed to be a lab, how do they ventilate all this?_ _Even for an abandoned one_. I searched the whole room, but there were any, aside from a small hole at the bottom of a wall, the same I was leaning a few seconds ago. I got closer to it… and then everything started shaking. The ceiling lights were moving like pendulums and the whole building was trembling.

_An earthquake? It is impossible-_

A beam of light flooded the room with such intensity that I could feel a certain type of heat. I cover my eyes while trying to maintain balance. I tried to locate myself to the nearest wall, but I could still see a glim of blue light, I felt the wall vanish through my fingers and then the cold concrete on my face.

Minutes passed before I was fully conscious. The sound of the explosion stunned me to the point that I didn´t know where I was. The wall that I was trying to lean on, completely disappear behind me, only to reveal what could be an emergency staircase. _It didn't make sense to have one in the middle of a building. _I peeped down the stairs, there were at least nine floors, **nine floors** we had no idea existed.

I reached my hand to the radio, trying to pick a signal **"Here Eagle three, DOES ANYONE COPY"** but I only heard a faint static. I could easily go on my own and check the floors, but I needed to know if my team was ok, if the shaking was because of an earthquake or an explosion and I needed approval.

"**Here Eagle three, DOES ANYONE COPY" **nothing, not a single sound, now not even static. Something was wrong. I decided to try one last time **"Here Eagle three, DOES ANYONE COPY" **but it was worthless. I tried to check if my gadgets were still working, but it was also useless, like if something has affected all of my equipment.

The stairs were fully lighted compared to the rest of the building and the concrete walls looked newer. This part did not correspond to any of the blueprints of Sione. I went down as quiet as possible, leaning on the walls, ready in case of anything. There was a musty smell in the air combined with a short circuit. I looked carefully were to step.

The first three floors were empty. All the same with long corridors and few doors to each side, leading to abandoned rooms like the rest of the building. Full of dust and not a single soul. _I still have six more_, I thought. I made my way to the fourth floor, step by step being aware of my surroundings. Then I heard it. Two loud gunshots, one followed by the other. This was the right way. I kick down the door…. And it was a bloody mess.

I have seen some gruesome scenes being military, but this was next level. Glass and blood covering almost everything, papers scrambled all over the floors, and lab equipment shattered. It looked like a large group of people were working here, but I was afraid of wondering where they might be. I tried to scan as fast as I could the room, but they were not a single person. I walked slowly trying to search for traces of where the bullets were shot from, maybe it wasn't this room or even this floor. I turned in almost every single room, just to see the same scene every single time. At the end of the hall, there were two big doors, at the top was a red light blinking. I stepped inside, water has covered almost every inch of the floor, and some bare wires were touching, _the reason for that smell. _It was a room full of desks with high tech computers and what seem to be tracking devices, like what a typical launching room will look like. At the center rather than a big screen was a huge tank, broken, like if something had broken free from there. That made me more aware, _maybe this was the day I finally see a Greek monster. Maybe the so call weapon wasn't something from wears and metal and rather from flesh and bones. _

I was getting close to the tank when I noticed, right behind it was a person in a hospital gown, clenched and shivering. I walked slowly toward them-

"_DON'T YOU DARE TOUCHING HER!_" I heard a female voice behind me. I turned around; the room was too dark to recognize who was speaking, not even my night vision was working after the "explosion". This woman was clenching her right side and could barely walk. She grabbed the end of one desk to support herself, gasping for some air but determined to get near the young woman who was behind me.

"Please, identify yourself!" I demanded.

"I´m Doctor Brielka Reznikov, and I forbid you to get near her!"


	4. Chapter 4 You can run but cannot hide

Authors note: Hi guys! Hope everyone is doing well. A big thank you to HoneyGoddess57 for the review.

Chapter 4: You can run but you cannot hide

…

I sighed in relief; she was alive. The mission wasn't lost after all. I moved slowly towards her without losing an eye from the young woman behind me. "Dr. Reznikov, I´m from the resistance, we´ve been looking for you"

"How can I be-" she gasped for air "-sure of that" The clenching in her side got more notorious, she was severely wounded. I reached my hand to one of my pockets to take out a golden drachma. A symbol for what we are fighting, a symbol of the resistance. Every time there´s a mission doesn't matter how risky it is, we must have a drachma with us. We never know when it may come in handy. I grabbed her hand to put the gold coin in her palm.

She looked down at it and let a small sob escaped "Thank the gods, and the seven" she clung to my arms. I brought her to the nearest chair and squatted. "I thought you were one of those bastards of Bourgna" I looked at her with doubt.

"I´m sorry but I don't think I´m following-"

"Those rats betrayed us; they kill everyone in here and made all this mess. They are working with Van der ven" I was speechless, we were supposed to be working with them, on the other hand, General Van der ven was known for working with Cronus. "They knew you were coming, they knew about your mission, so they decided to make the resistance responsible for this. This was all planned, it was a trap" she readjusted herself on the chair and gasped for some air. "They starting to suspect of me, that's why I end all communication with Odie. I couldn't bear putting all of you at risk… but they found out" she took off her glasses and rub her eyes.

"Doctor Reznikov, I understand all, but I need to take you out of here, we must move" she shook her head. Her sight wandered trough the room to rest her eyes on the young woman who was laying on the floor.

"My journey ends here" she put her hand to the side to reveal a big open wound, her lab coat was cover in blood. She let go a big sob while a teardrop rolled down her cheek "I don't have much time"; she took my hand and squeezed it tightly "I need you to get her safely out of here, promise me she will be safe"

"I will take both of you-"

"No" her gaze was decisive. "They will look for her, not me"

"But Dr. Reznikov, your wound, I know-" I was starting to protest again when she cut me "Enough! You soldiers are so stubborn. Right now I´m your superior, so you must follow my orders, understood?"

"Yes, ma´am" I sighed. She gathered all of her strength to stood up and walked until she kneeled beside her.

"Tam, my dear, look at me" she grabbed her head with both hands, her eyes looking disoriented "I need you to trust- I´m sorry I didn't get your name"

"Carter, Milo Carter"

"I need you to trust Milo, he would take you out of here to somewhere safe" her voice was breaking, they both looked for a few seconds without saying a word until Tam nodded. "I know I promised a lot of things that I´m not going to be able to do, but I need you to run and never look back" she lamented while hugging Tam.

Dr. Reznikov then grabbed and tore off her necklace, a silver chain with a tag, and put it in my hand. "By this time, I´m sure there´s a mole within the resistance. Please, don't trust anyone and beware of everything. Give this to any of the seven until you know its safe, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am" I put the necklaces in my right pocket. I looked at Tam, she was clearly in a state of shock, it seems like she wasn't grasping well the situation. Her whole body was trembling, and a little sob could be perceived. _The gods only know what this girl has gone through._ I tried to meet her eyes while grabbing both her arms "Tam, I need you to walk behind me all time. If I tell you to stop, you stop. Follow my lead, got it?"

"_lead…" _her voice was faint and barely perceptible, but still she nodded. A rumble of noises was heard from rooms not so far. "They´re coming, you need to go now!" Dr. Reznikov hurried us out, I gave her a last look and turned to the door. I tried to move as sneaky and fast as possible, but Tam was walking slow and timorous of our surroundings. We were almost at the door to take the stairs when we heard two shots.

"_COME OUT, COME OUT WERE EVER YOU ARE"_ a husky voice echoed through the walls. Tam grabbed my arm tightly. _"YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE, YOU LITTLE GUINEA PIG!" _I hurried her to walk faster. The footsteps could be heard closer combined with the scratching of metal against the cement. A pair of doors burst opened; more shots were coming our way, one of them grazed me in the arm. I hunched and grabbed my arm, immediately turning to see what I was confronting.

"_Van der ven…"_ Tam whispered.

A tall figure stood a few meters from us, _another 3T… great_. His eyes were full of rage, and a face that only a mad man could have; full in military gear and with a hunting rifle, this only meant trouble. His gaze didn't escape Tam for a second, as if he were a lion ready to attack his prey.

Still hunching a bit, I stood in front of Tam, pointing my gun to him. "You thought you could escape, you little monster!_"_ He ran his fingers through his white hair with a devilish smirk that gave me chills. "Did you find a new pawn to protect you?" he said mockingly. "To bad that Brielka it´s no longer here to protect you" he raised his gun towards her. I saw Tam out of the corner of my eye, the shivering had stopped, and her gaze had toughened. The frightened woman was long gone.

The floor started shaking, and the whole building with it. Van der ven wasn't surprised, he started walking in our direction. He and Tam never broke eye contact. He actioned the riffle, bullets were flying everywhere. I grabbed Tam by the arm and made a shield with my body while running to the stairs. Pieces of concrete were falling at our sides; the rumbling did not stop at any moment.

"_**THE PHOENIX MUST DIE!"**_ I could hear Van der ven yelling and screaming at our backs over and over again. I grabbed Tam´s hand and hurried her to the nearest exit. It was raining again. We barely made it to the ground floor, it all felt behind us.

The whole building vanished at our backs. A cloud of dust blinded my sight. Still feeling Tam´s hand entangled between my fingers I run as fast as I could. Pieces of concrete were falling centimeters from us. I spot a boulder where we could hide. I shield Tam between me and the rock and wait for everything to stop.

…

The silence that surrounded the forest at the beginning was gone. I moved aside to get a better look. Wherever there was an imposing building, only rubble remained. The moon was the only source of light.

I looked all around for a sign of my teammates, but there was none. Everything was quiet, just the wind howling and some distant thunders. I picked my radio **"Here Eagle three, DOES ANYONE COPY", **but again not even static. I started to feel unease; the words of Major Oyekan echoed in my head _"…if something goes wrong, you must retreat to the bunker, no exception of waiting for anyone, not even me, understood?" _I could only hope that they had escaped in time and were safe.

With that in mind, I turned to Tam, for the first time I noticed the scars all over her body; her arms and legs were covered in them, some scarier than others. Her head was completely shaved, not a singled thread of hair. The moonlight that passed through the branches revealed the green of her eyes, her gaze was lost. _I don´t even want to imagine what they have done to her._

I approached her calmly, she backed up a little. "Hey, I´m sorry for what you have been through, but If we want to be safe, I need you to follow me. It´s going to be a long way" her eyes meet mine; I could see the sadness in them. I wasn't sure if what was rolling down her cheeks were raindrops or tears. "I promised no one is going to harm you again"

"_I… just… home…"_ she stuttered

"You want to go home?"

"_Yes" _her answered was faint. I also wanted to be at home.

"I promised I will take you there, but first we need to go somewhere safe" she nodded. I offered her my hand to stood up. Her hospital gown was fully soaked, and her feet were bare. I sighed, maybe If one of the Humvees was still near, I could search for a change of clothes. I picked her up and carry her piggyback.

I tried to locate myself on the ground, we weren't far from where I last saw my troop, just a few meters away. I walked towards that way, and thankfully catch a sight of the Humvee. It felt bitter-sweet, knowing that it was here, only meant one thing, one possible scenario, that I didn't want to think about_. That last conversation with Amelia cannot be our last one. _

I put Tam down and open the door, the keys were there, everything was as we had left it. I reached for a bag under Amelia´s seat, we always carried a spare change. Tam was almost the same size as Amelia.

"This would keep you warm" I turned to her and gave her the clothes. She looked at me not sure of what to do. I made a gesture of covering myself with the jacket. She nodded.

Meanwhile, I decided to check on the radio, maybe our PMRs were the one´s malfunctioning. I turned it on, changing in all the stations, but it was useless. Something had affected the signals. The storm, the earthquake, or something worse. Not even the GPS was working. At this, point I was afraid of the Humvee not even turning on. I closed my eyes and tried my luck.

I have never been so happy to hear the sound of an engine.


End file.
